Unfortunately, the JV CDM girls golf soccer game against Edison on Thursday, January 13 didn’t go as planned. There are many explanations for this. For example, Edison is four times larger than CDM which makes their scope of prospective student athletes far greater, and leave some with more diverse options. Another reason might be the human fact that everyone has an off- day. Whatever the case, the final result was 6 to 1 – we lost. Regardless of the outcome, it should be known that CDM girls soccer is a very important part of student life; the team represents CDM’s core values and reflects well on the school. Although recently they have had their share of strife, it is clear from the behaviours of the athletes and the spirit of the team that they will prevail through their empathy, integrity, and resilience.

Coach Skye is new to CDM, but her values seem to be acquainted with the school’s values quite nicely. She is known to be very supportive and encouraging and works through positive reinforcement. This method develops empathy and has created a sense of camaraderie between the girls. Even when mistakes are made, there is little blame or accusations, they just try to fix it. On Thursday, they could’ve yelled at each other when possession was lost or a goal was scored (like many other teams), but they didn’t. The JV team didn’t let the prospect of winning distract them from the most important thing- the relationships between the players.

While pettiness and competitive feelings are common in high-level sports, CDM JV girls soccer is a very friendly environment, and they work with each other not against each other. JV CDM girls soccer encompasses both the efficiency of a large roster and the closeness of a small group. In terms of bonding, they don’t take any shortcuts, they have a team dinner every Wednesday, and make an effort to get to know each and every individual player. Sophomore Kellie Brown commented, “yeah I like being on the team because we’ve all bonded together and have a great relationship that shows on the field and off the field.” Junior Ashley Riba seconded that comment, adding, “I like being on the soccer team because of the team community. We have a large variety of girls in different grades on our team and because of soccer, have been given the opportunity to get to know one another. As a result, I’ve made many new friends that I work hard on and off the field to win games for.” Similarly, these girls play fair. While they are aggressive and motivated, they hardly ever get penalties, yellow cards or red cards; they let their talent speak for itself. These two actions serve as examples of a much larger sense of integrity amongst the team.

Throughout their last game, even as Eddieon scored on them time and time again, their devotion and grit didn’t waver- they even fought back harder. This is a sure sign of resilience, and hopefully, this loss will add to that cultivation of resilience. Because, armed with all three core values, they will be sure to win the next game of the season, and Trident will be there to report.